Sunday, September 28, 2008

What do you do when you have to talk something... There is a compulsive desire to talk... but you dunno if what you feel will come out in words? How do you express the language that you yourself do not understand? What do you do when your mind starts playing games with you? You know it wants to free itself from those shackles which the world has put upon it but the key to the lock is locked deep inside the brain. The language of expression of this deep-rooted turmoil is further turmoil.

What do you do when all you want to do is run around... or sit and count the twinkling stars... or idle away time dreaming about neverland...

And it is these times, the times when even talking to your own self is the toughest task at hand that I sit and thank Justin Hall. It is these times when the net becomes the closest ‘secretkeeper’ and the keyboard the ‘keymaker’. Call me a loner if u must but it is these times that I try hardest to cherish!!!

Sunday, September 14, 2008

And yet another act of terror strikes India... And what do we Indians do?

While maintaining calm and peace is important, is that all India can/should do? About seven years ago, America was hit by an act of terrorism once and here’s what president Bush had to say, “Our nation was horrified, but it's not going to be terrorized. Americans should not expect one battle, but a lengthy campaign, unlike any other we have ever seen”. WTC might have been a conspiracy, the retaliation might have been unjust, the war may have been illegal but one thing was for sure; USA proved that its existence and sovereignty will not be compromised upon. Its high time India too showed the world and terrorists in particular what it’s capable of. Counter-terrorism in India was used as a thesis topic but has India learnt from itself!!!

Even more shocking is the news coming in from my alma mater. Juniors reported that Mangalore (yet again) is in the grip of religious tension. As is very usual, one side pleads for a case of retaliation and the other, for a case of un-instigated crime. This doesn’t get the national media attention but I believe this IS terrorism in its nascent stages.

These two unrelated (or are they? isn’t one the extreme form of the other??) incidents make me wonder; probably we Indians really deserve what we are getting. Why can we not realise the value of peace? Why does religion make us go against the very basic principles it propagates, the value of love and peace? Why can’t religious leaders understand that man is supposed to be a social animal who has to learn to live in company of others? He cannot have his way every time. Force is not the only solution to resolve a conflict. There are at least compromise solutions and even better, collaborative solutions to every problem. Every man is born free, only to be later shackled in mind and soul by his religion.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

It was early June when I was informed about the waitlist getting cleared and me getting admitted to one of the top B-Schools in the country, XL (officially, XLRI School of Business and Human Resources). Now, I sit at home, at the end of first term, thinking, was giving up a white-collar job in an IT-Major worth it?

The first few days, till the time we finished our “prep-course” and had the grand welcome on the first ever wet-night, were full of fun and wondering what the next two months would be like. I cannot thank the seniors enough for teaching me how to stay awake late though through unconventional ways ;). Then started the drill... The drill of squeezing all that’s left of a fresh graduate... But then, that is what managers are made of - Nothing!!!

There were OHT sessions in finance which knocked me out and left me wondering if I was on the right ladder!! Economics brought me back to life and gave me some hope. Just when I thought I could survive the bludgeon, the QT cane hit me hard and no "Poojan" or "Prasadam" could parry the intellectual demons. And then it was a series of malice tipped arrows fired at me from every angle. The aim then was, not to learn to make a living; it was to live to finish my learning!!! I forgot what excellence meant, it was plain survival. Finish tasks that fetch me a tenth of the total grade in little more than a tenth of the day.

Little did I realise that, in doing so, I was not just doing my best, it turned out to be the best that the time could allow. I realised that by doing so, I ensured I gained the maximum out of every subject (ok except one).

My learning from the first term (In no way exhaustive):

First and foremost, friends are your biggest assets. Only they cannot be represented in monetary terms and thus are not a part of the balance sheet. But life takes into account these very intangible assets and bigger this asset item, the bigger is your balance sheet. Alas... Accountants and their principle of conservatism...

I can debit/credit a transaction. (slight errors permitted). I can analyse company financial reports and say how well they are doing (this info though should not be substituted for expert opinions)

I know a person for high need for achievement/power when I see one. Need for affiliation... Why can’t I see beyond flattery!!

I can identify segments and targets of companies and products (did anyone notice the shift of target of “SugarFree” from diabetics to general health conscious populace??)

I know why government taxes cigarettes while subsidising wheat and rice.

But most important of all, I can remain awake till 2 every night and not complain about work-induced health disorders!!

Relaxing,MMM

P.S. It took a lot of will-power to not write about the end-term (not to mention one specific ET)

Friday, September 5, 2008

I never thought I could listen to a lecture on “Achieving Childhood Dreams” with so much interest. I’m no cynic but after so many gurus and sadhus, I just assume all these lectures on philosophy and outlook on life are so boring and predictable, I don’t consider them worth my time. What made me listen to this one?? Well, as usual, I was spending time on my favourite pastime – Googling. Came across this video... What struck me was that it had been downloaded and seen more than 6 million times in less than one year..!! Decided, when so many people are watching it, it must have something unique.

And to no surprise, it did not disappoint me. Effortlessly, Dr. Randy Pausch takes you through his childhood dreams and how he learnt to nurture others’ childhood dreams. You cannot but have lessons to learn. For fear of spoiling the essence, I shall just quote a few “Quotable Quotes” from the lecture and provide the link to the same.

“When you are screwing up and noone’s telling you how bad you are, that means they have given up on you.

“Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.”

“Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.

“Brick walls are not there to prevent you from getting what you want badly. Brick walls are there to stop people who want it badly enough.”

“There are both ways of saying I don’t know but there is a good way and a bad way.”

No wonder he was called "The dying man who taught America how to live". Sadly, this great teacher breathed his last on July 25 earlier this year.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Today was a mixed day for me. The morning was spent trying to figure out the thoughts of one of the most unpredictable yet brilliant minds out there. The next few hours were spent trying to figure out what to write on a "Cheat-Sheet" before finally giving up and deciding to take the bull by the horns.. to cross the river when it comes.. And I was not completely wrong in my decision...

Come 1830 hrs, the fantabulous lump of matter had figured out the teesra while all of us gunned our eyes on the doosra. It was no wonder many of left the exam hall wondering if the course actually made us better at the subject. For few of us, it was outright strange while for others, it was just unknown. Well, the lesser said about it, the better it is...

It was the however, the begining of the evening for myself.It was close to 2300 hrs. With my head screaming for someone to hammer it down, I decided to say goodbye to the world for the night and take a trip to my dreamland... And I did just that, albeit with a cup of coffee in my hand and not my screeching head. For two hours long, I spoke. I spoke with a purpose... To speak!!! No analgesic works as well as a receptive listener who promises to be there to listen to you.

"Irrational feelings make sense when we understand what's behind them", Author Unknown. My irrational feelings make even more sense when we understand they need not have anything behind them, that is just the way I feel. No questions asked, none given. No explainations sought, none ventured. Just plain words accepted at face value.

Did Alice enjoy her wonderland trip? She sure hadn't visited my dreamland!! It is 0300 Hrs and I've not been at such peace for last one month.

This should have come one week back but owing to the infinite assignments and projects...Thankfully, late submission will not be returned or penalised...

Heres it goes..

Every good thing has an end, they say... No one says talks of the bad. Do bad things ever come to an end? Well, seems they too do. What then is the difference between the good and the bad? Good things are forgotten... bad haunt you for the days to come if not your whole life. Good things leave u happy for a day, bad, they leave you battered and tattered for many more. Good things, well others know about it and it shows, bad, you know it and the others simply assume it. Does it show? It does and not always in ways you have control over. The-week-that-is is one and no points for guessing which side of the good-bad divide it is on. And worst part is, it is not yet over!!!

It all started with the quiz for the excellers and not the ordinary XLers. Fraxing is not allowed when you are submitting to the demands of the peer organisations. Forget the social, at 6 o’clock in the evening, you are not in a position to take responsibility of your own self. And then suddenly you are reminded of the impending crisis of recovering the sunk cost of the two hrs of sleep you just credited. You raise your hands up in the air and shout out aloud, “I will never play with toys again”, I’d rather be thrown into a burning haven.

Opportunity knocks once they say, opportunity cost knocks you out!!! Sometimes I feel If God put me on earth to accomplish a certain number of things, right now I am so far behind, I will live forever.

Dear Blog,This is my first entry to miniscule-musings.blogspot.com. Through this post, I think I should be effectively introducing myself to you.

Well, I'm Puneet. People feel I'm currently doing a Masters in Business Administration. Well I can't say for sure if I'm.. Going by the look and feel of it, I think I am. So for now, for lack of evidence against it, lets assume I am doing MBA.

So what do I do here? Well when I'm not with my sleep-deprived zombie friends, I try to invest some time in watching sitcoms. My latest source of time-pass has been discovering the immense capabilities of the wonderful world of Windows Vista (of which I shall be describing in some other posts). New sidebar gadgets.. New search options.. New everything.. Sometimes you can find me trying out my creativity on graphic design tools.. Other times I'm YouTubing.. Commercials, spoofs an what not..

Do I do anything other than typing keys on my keyboard desperately trying to keep myself not-busy with ghissugiri? Well.. I started my initial days with some badminton but soon realised I needed to give some rest to my over-strained body. Thus.. other than common frax (and sometimes grax!!) practically nothing :)